Method for operating the on-board electrical power system of a motor vehicle

• US 8,843,277 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2011
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Company KG Hallstadt (Brose)
• Original Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Company KG Hallstadt (Brose)
• Inventors: Fuchs, Thorsten, Hering, Matthias, Wuerstlein, Holger, Schindhelm, Thomas, Russ, Detlef
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US13/378,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20130018551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/49, 340/5.51, 340/5.72
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/00 Power-operated mechanisms for wings motor-operated accessories in locks for completing closing or initiating opening of a wing E05B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/452 for saving energy, e.g. sleep or wake-up
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/852 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/858 by body parts, e.g. by feet
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/86 by hand
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailboards, tailgates or sideboards opening upwards

Abstract

A method for operating the electrical system of a motor vehicle having a control unit with an operating mode and an energy-saving standby mode is described. A wake-up operator control event is detected by a sensor and has an associated time interval from the preceding wake-up operator control event. The time interval is ascertained when a wake-up operator control event is detected, and the control unit is woken up or not woken up. Each wake-up operator control event has an associated switch-off indicator which is ascertained each time a wake-up operator control event is detected, and the control unit is woken up or not woken up as a function of the level of the switch-off indicator with reference to a switch-off threshold. A change in the current switch-off indicator relative to the preceding switch-off indicator is all the greater the smaller the current time interval.

Claims

1. A method for operating an on-board electrical system of a motor vehicle having a control unit comprising,

waking up the control unit into an operating mode starting from an energy saving standby mode, wherein a predetermined wake-up operator control event, is detected by means of a sensor arrangement, wherein each wake-up operator control event has an associated time interval from a preceding wake-up operator control event, wherein the associated time interval is ascertained when a wake-up operator control event is detected, and the control unit is woken up or not woken up as a function of the time interval, wherein each wake-up operator control event has an associated switch-off indicator which is ascertained each time a wake-up operator control event is detected based on the time interval of said wake-up operator control event, and wherein the control unit is woken up or not woken up as a function of a level of the switch-off indicator with reference to a switch-off threshold, and wherein a change in a current switch-off indicator relative to a preceding switch-off indicator in a direction of the switch-off threshold is greater the smaller the current time interval.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the on-board system has a bus system, and wake up of the control unit is accompanied by at least partial, wake up of the bus system.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein wake up of the control unit is accompanied by complete wake up of the bus system.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein wake up of the control unit triggers an authentication dialog with a radio key of the user, and after a successful authentication dialog and, a hatch, of the motor vehicle is opened in a motorized manner.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein a change in the current switch-off indicator relative to the preceding switch-off indicator in the direction of the switch-off threshold results only when the current time interval is below a nominal time interval.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the hatch is opened after detection of a further operator control event by the sensor arrangement.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch-off indicator is ascertained from the time intervals over a series of detected wake-up operator control events which ends in the current wake-up operator control event.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch-off indicator results from the sum of time interval value numbers over a series of detected wake-up operator control events which ends in the current wake-up operator control event.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the sum of time interval value members over a series of detected wake-up operator control events is weighted.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one weighting factor is constant, or at least one weighting factor is variable.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the time interval value numbers each result from the difference between a nominal time interval and the respectively ascertained time interval, or in that the time interval value numbers are the ascertained time intervals themselves.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch-off indicator is ascertained in an iterative manner, and each detection of a wake-up operator control event forms an iteration step, for forming the sum which forms the switch-off indicator.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the iteration step is a summation step.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch-off indicator is reset to a predetermined value after a reset condition is detected.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the reset condition is initiation of a driving operation, authentication of the user, unlocking of the motor vehicle or detection of a predetermined operator control pattern.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensitivity of the sensor arrangement is varied as a function of the switch-off indicator.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is a keyless entry control unit.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined wake-up operator control event comprises a person approaching.

19. A motor vehicle having an on-board electrical system having a control unit, it being possible to wake up the control unit into an operating mode starting from an energy-saving standby mode, wherein a predetermined wake-up operator control event, can be detected by means of a sensor arrangement, wherein each wake-up operator control event has an associated time interval from the respectively preceding wake-up operator control event, wherein the arrangement is made such that the associated time interval is ascertained when a wake-up operator control event is detected, and the control unit is woken up or not woken up as a function of the time interval, wherein each wake-up operator control event has an associated switch-off indicator which is ascertained each time a wake-up operator control event is detected based on its time interval, and wherein the control unit is woken up or not woken up as a function of the level of the switch-off indicator with reference to a switch-off threshold.

20. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 19, wherein wake up of the control unit triggers a radio-based authentication dialog with a radio key of the user, and the motor vehicle has a door or hatch having an associated door or hatch drive, wherein, after a successful authentication dialog a door or hatch of the motor vehicle is opened in a motorized manner.